--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Words themselves aren't that important…" description: "\"“Words themselves aren't that important. Even if somebody says words that shock you, or make you want to kill them, or make you tremble with emotion, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/ryu-murakami-8219_language_words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-e_2258111.png" --- # Words themselves aren't that important. Even if somebody… ![“Words themselves aren't that important. Even if somebody says words that shock you, or make you want to kill them, or make you tremble with emotion, the words themselves you tend to forget in time. Words are just tools we use to express or communicate something.” quote by Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/ryu-murakami-8219_language_words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-e_2258111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/ryu-murakami-8219_language_words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-e_2258111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/ryu-murakami-8219_language_words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-e_2258111.png) > ““Words themselves aren't that important. Even if somebody says words that shock you, or make you want to kill them, or make you tremble with emotion, the words themselves you tend to forget in time. Words are just tools we use to express or communicate something.”” [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words are fleeting tools for communication; their impact fades, leaving only the underlying feeling or idea. **In simple terms:** Words fade, meaning stays. Key Takeaway Focus on the message, not the phrasing. Themes communication language perception Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical insightful When to use this quote - personal conversations - public speaking - writing - conflict resolution Key Concepts semiotics emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your core idea is understood? - When do you prioritize tone over content? A Different Perspective Words can be misinterpreted or lose nuance over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emotion Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion-words-253054/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Says Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-words-648782/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-aren-447993/) [Words of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-of-wisdom/) [Words Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-shock-1227438/) ## Related quotes > [“While it may seem a bit antithetical to use quite so many "naughty words" in an etiquette book, I can assure you that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-rivenbark/while-it-may-seem-a-bit-antithetical-to-use-quite-so-many-naughty/) [Celia Rivenbark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-rivenbark/) > [Today's comics use four-letter words as a shortcut to thinking. They're shooting for that big laugh and it becomes a panic thing, using four-letter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-skelton/today-s-comics-use-four-letter-words-as-a-shortcut-to-thinking-they/) [Red Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-skelton/) > [I have always taken care to put an idea or emotion behind my words. I have made it a habit to be suspicious of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-sedar-senghor/i-have-always-taken-care-to-put-an-idea-or-emotion-behind-my-words-i/) [Leopold Sedar Senghor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-sedar-senghor/) > [Trying to convey an emotion through words is not easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-allen/trying-to-convey-an-emotion-through-words-is-not-easy/) [Kris Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-allen/) > [The words we use don't matter as much as the emotion behind the words. When we understand this, we have the ability to influence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/the-words-we-use-don-t-matter-as-much-as-the-emotion-behind-the-words/) [Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/) > [“What else is a poem about? The rhythm and the images buried in the language. All the ways you can build an emotion with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garret-freymann-weyr/what-else-is-a-poem-about-the-rhythm-and-the-images-buried-in-the/) [Garret Freymann-Weyr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garret-freymann-weyr/) > [Words are poor interpreters in the realms of emotion. When all words end, music begins; when they suggest, it realizes; and hence is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-reginald-haweis/words-are-poor-interpreters-in-the-realms-of-emotion-when-all-words/) [Hugh Reginald Haweis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-reginald-haweis/) > [“Sometimes not speaking says more than all the words in the world. Sometimes my silence is saying, I don't know how to speak to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/sometimes-not-speaking-says-more-than-all-the-words-in-the-world/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mawlana-jalal-al-din-rumi/all-day-i-think-about-it-then-at-night-i-say-it-where-did-i-come-from-3/) [Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mawlana-jalal-al-din-rumi/) > [If you try to write something that's memorable, you'll never get it. Sometimes it's the way the actor says the words that make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-crowe/if-you-try-to-write-something-that-s-memorable-you-ll-never-get-it/) [Cameron Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-crowe/) > [“So in the middle of all the noise, I point to the sky. I hope he understands what I mean, because I mean so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/so-in-the-middle-of-all-the-noise-i-point-to-the-sky-i-hope-he/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [“I love you, ” he says , his words harsh and soft all at once. “ I love you and it isn’t enough .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-love-you-he-says-his-words-harsh-and-soft-all-at-once-i-love-you/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“Fine," he says, his words coming out breathless. "I'll save your precious sword-master, McKenzie. But I will never, ever give you back to him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-williams/fine-he-says-his-words-coming-out-breathless-i-ll-save-your-precious/) [Sandy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-williams/) > [“Oh,” Alex says. “It’s you.” These are the first words he has spoken to me in more than three days. There”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/oh-alex-says-it-s-you-these-are-the-first-words-he-has-spoken-to-me/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“The art of the successful poem is that is says more than its words say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-mag-man/the-art-of-the-successful-poem-is-that-is-says-more-than-its-words-say/) [the mag man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-mag-man/) ## More by Ryū Murakami > [“People who love horror films are people with boring lives... when a really scary movie is over, you're reassured to see that you're still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/people-who-love-horror-films-are-people-with-boring-lives-when-a/) [Ryu Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Even when you're talking to them face to face you have this feeling of not connecting, as if the words just pass through them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/even-when-you-re-talking-to-them-face-to-face-you-have-this-feeling/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Of course, I'm not sure there is such a thing as a real self. You could ransack your innards looking for the real you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/of-course-i-m-not-sure-there-is-such-a-thing-as-a-real-self-you-could/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“The feeling that the world was at my feet and the feeling that I alone was cut off from the world, the sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/the-feeling-that-the-world-was-at-my-feet-and-the-feeling-that-i/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Everybody wants to talk about themselves, and everybody wants to hear everybody else's story, so we take turns playing reporter and celebrity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/everybody-wants-to-talk-about-themselves-and-everybody-wants-to-hear/) [Ryu Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Only time can heal wounds as deep as that—a lot of time—and all you can really do is place yourself in its hands and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/only-time-can-heal-wounds-as-deep-as-that-a-lot-of-time-and-all-you/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“What these young men feared and hated more than anything else was being spoken to by people they hadn't met, or having to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/what-these-young-men-feared-and-hated-more-than-anything-else-was/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“There in that pool stained with green blood, he had learned two things: one was that all the pain stopped when you stopped fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/there-in-that-pool-stained-with-green-blood-he-had-learned-two-things/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“The song was the late Ishihara Yujiro’s “Rusty Knife,” and Sakaguchi’s singing was so bad that it gave the lyric a strange new pathos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/the-song-was-the-late-ishihara-yujiro-s-rusty-knife-and-sakaguchi-s/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“But for all we’ve lost, hope is in fact one thing we Japanese have regained. The great earthquake and tsunami have robbed us of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/but-for-all-we-ve-lost-hope-is-in-fact-one-thing-we-japanese-have/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Yeah, he'd said, maybe it's just my idea, but really it always hurts, the times it don't hurt is when we just forget, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/yeah-he-d-said-maybe-it-s-just-my-idea-but-really-it-always-hurts-the/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“A person without self-confidence is incapable of being independent, and people who are dependent on their partners always create unhappiness. Always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/a-person-without-self-confidence-is-incapable-of-being-independent/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“We sat side by side on the swings. The creaking sound they made seemed sexier to me than a Jimi Hendrix guitar solo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/we-sat-side-by-side-on-the-swings-the-creaking-sound-they-made-seemed/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Who hasn't wanted to die at one time or another?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/who-hasn-t-wanted-to-die-at-one-time-or-another/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Yeah. He wants to be a…what do you call those guys?” “A sommelier?” “Right. Said he wanted to see your collection.” “At fifteen he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/yeah-he-wants-to-be-a-what-do-you-call-those-guys-a-sommelier-right/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) [Explore all 82 Ryū Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) ## More Language quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/) [TimBur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timbur/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The words for what I want to say right now don't exist. Everything sounds…so cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/the-words-for-what-i-want-to-say-right-now-don-t-exist-everything/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Words can kill you trust towards someone, mind you language people, every reaction had its consequence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-can-kill-you-trust-towards-someone-mind-you-language-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) [Browse all 21,951 Language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Words themselves aren't that important. Even if somebody says words that shock you, or make you want to kill them, or make you tremble with emotion, the words themselves you tend to forget in time. Words are just tools we use to express or communicate something.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryū Murakami" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-even-if-somebody-says-words/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Language" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-even-if-somebody-says-words/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/ryu-murakami-8219_language_words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-e_2258111.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/ryu-murakami-8219_language_words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-e_2258111.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/ryu-murakami-8219_language_words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-e_2258111.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Words themselves aren't that important. Even if somebody says words that shock you, or make you want to kill…” — Ryū Murakami", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ryū Murakami", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Words themselves aren't that important. Even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-even-if-somebody-says-words/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/words-themselves-aren-t-that-important-even-if-somebody-says-words/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```